WWF SmackDown! "Just Bring It": The Interview

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To conclude the week of Smackdown, a few questions and answers with producer Sanders Kiel.

By IGN Staff

We know you love Smackdown. We wonder about this, some of the time, now that WWF Smackdown "Just Bring It" has shattered all traffic records for IGN, which would make it from a certain perspective the most popular videogame on the net, but why ask why? You love Smackdown, and so we're giving you more Smackdown, in the form of five big features on particular aspects of the latest wrestling sim to emergre from THQ and Yuke's. One will appear each day of this week, only on IGNinsider.

Today, our feature comes to a close, with a few questions and answers courtesy THQ WWF producer Sanders Kiel. Here's the short, to-the-point dope on some of the queries that repeatedly assault our mailboxes, as well as related commentary on the wonderful world of no-holds-barred fighting (because IGOR VOVCHANCHYN'S COOKIES RULE). Read on, then, and remember that our Smackdown coverage isn't over yet -- come back next week for more movies, more screens, more information, and generally all the Smackdown we can manage to put together before we collapse from exhaustion. On that slightly off-kilter note, take it away...

IGN: What's the damage balance like in Just Bring It? A common complaint from some quarters about Smackdown 2 was inconsistent salesmanship on the part of wrestlers -- the effect of powerful moves tends to vary wildly, and submissions are generally a much more effective finish than power moves. Has this changed at all?

SK: It's hard to put an exact classification on it. But, this is something we addressed. It's been fine tuned and is now much more balanced.

IGN: The other bugaboo has always been the story mode -- what can you do in story mode now that you couldn't before? Do you have greater direct control over your wrestler's actions between events, or are you still mainly adrift according to the CPU's decision?

SK: What I can say is that it's a completely updated storyline with no more standing around and waiting. It gives you greater control. And ultimately, the way it unfolds depends upon who you run into.

Just need to hammer out some dialogue issues.

IGN: How complex is the one-button reversal system this time out? About how many different reversals/counters does any given wrestler have, and how many can you give to a created wrestler?

SK: We have tons of reversals and counters! And the good news is that it's the same for the created wrestlers as it is for the SuperStars.

IGN: Is it possible to break the walls of the cage or Hell in the Cell? We'd check this, but the current preview build of the game textures cage walls in tie-dye green and purple, which makes navigating the cage difficult.

SK: The only thing you'll be able to break open is the door to the Hell in the Cell. That's the way it should be.

IGN: Exactly what can you do with a ladder in Just Bring It that we didn't see in Smackdown 2? We've seen movies of rope seesaws and other maneuvers, but are those gameplay, or just cinematics? Also, are multiple ladders/ladders of varying sizes a possibility?

SK: Exact ladder experiences will remain to be seen. But, you can expect multiple ladders of varying sizes.

They say ladders; we say "how high?"

IGN: What new ways are there to break tables? Can any move do it, or are their still limitations to their interactivity?

SK: There are more more moves which can break the tables, but it still has to have some limits.

IGN: On a related note, is it possible to break the announcers' tables now, or can you still just jump off them?

SK: You'd better believe you can break them!

IGN: Are the rails outside the ring going to be interactive, or can you just go over them now?

SK: You can go over them.

IGN: Since you're probably sick to the teeth of the above subjects, a breather: If the UFC and PRIDE ever ran a co-promotional card, who'd you like to see fight Tito Ortiz? Sakuraba or Silva?

IGN: Is Scotty II Hotty staying in the game? The team's irrevocably broken up, but we all think it'd be a shame to throw away the animation for the Worm.

SK: He's still in the game.

IGN: By the same token, are hidden names like Justin Credible and X-Pac going to make the final cut?

SK: You know it!

IGN: Back to a more serious subject (relatively speaking, anyway), where are the "walls" going to be in stages like Times Square and outside the arena? Irish-whip a guy and he'll run all the way down the block before he can stop. Oh, and while we're at it, how to you get to WWF New York? Is it its own venue, or is it somehow connected to the other backstage areas?

SK: The areas will be much larger and have much faster load times. All the areas are also connected. So it will play very well.

IGN: If it's not too forward of us to ask, where did you get the boss Ayanami tattoo?

SK: I wish I could say I got it in Japan. But, it was in Reseda.

Well, we think it's still pretty cool.

Thanks to Sanders and THQ for their time and assistance, and for this game that all of you go so absolutely nuts over. Check back next week (and the week after that, and so forth) for all the best in Smackdown.

The series that rocked the PlayStation is back and ready to rule the PS2! Choose from more than 35 real wrestlers (yes, The Rock is included), then step into the ring and get ready to roll. New locales allow you to rumble in the parking lot, the dressing room, the audience, or wherever the action takes you. There are plenty of game modes to keep you entertained, and the 3D graphics are the best to ever grace a wrestling game. Don't believe it? Well, maybe you'd better check it out for yourself